WHO welcomes health ministers to Manila to consider a new vision and actions to improve health in the Region

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific today welcomed ministers, other senior health officials and key partners from across the Western Pacific to the seventy-fifth session of its Regional Committee. WHO's governing body for the Region convenes every year to formulate policies, adopt resolutions and make decisions to improve the health of more than 1.9 billion people living in the Western Pacific.

WHO's Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala - the first Pacific islander to be elected to the position - welcomed health leaders to the first Regional Committee under his tenure.

"As the first Regional Director from the Pacific, the challenges we're discussing - such as rising sea levels and increasingly frequent disasters - are realities that my loved ones and fellow Pacific islanders live with every day," said Dr Piukala. "I'm keenly aware of the enormity of the work ahead of us, but with mutual trust and support we can meet these challenges."

Dr Piukala's address covered key updates on WHO's work with countries and partners across the Region from July 2023 to June 2024. He also introduced a draft vision for improving health in the Region, to guide WHO's work with Member States over the coming five-year period.

"This vision, jointly developed by WHO and Member States, is a testament to the beauty, strength and diversity of this Region," said Dr Piukala. "Guided by this vision, we will work together and with our partners to build a sustainable, resilient and healthy future for all people in the Western Pacific."

Cook Islands Minister of Health, the Honourable Vainetutai Rose Toki Brown, was elected Chairperson of this year's session of the Regional Committee. Viet Nam Vice Minister of Health, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, was elected Vice-Chairperson.

Hon. Toki Brown thanked the delegates for their trust and confidence in electing her as Chairperson, and she added: "This is a special year. It is the first Regional Committee meeting with the new Regional Director, Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala, at the helm, and we have a lot of important ground to cover."

She went on to say, "I know that you are all committed to the health of this Region, and I know you agree on the value of us convening here as members of the World Health Organization. The success of our new regional vision relies upon the mutual accountability of Member States and WHO. Thank you again for your confidence in electing me as Chair of this important meeting. I am very much looking forward to our discussions."

A new vision for health in the Region

The new vision, Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025−2029): Working together to improve health, well-being and save lives, is being presented to Member States for their endorsement. The vision centres on the analogy of the weaving of a mat − a traditional activity across Asia and the Pacific - symbolizing the collaborative efforts required by WHO, governments and partners to improve the health and well-being of the people of the Region. The vision comprises five vertical strands of action led by governments, interwoven with three horizontal strands of action by WHO over the coming five years.

The five vertical strands of action led by governments, working with WHO and other stakeholders, include:

1. Transformative primary health care for universal health coverage

2. Climate-resilient health systems

3. Resilient communities, societies and systems for health security

4. Healthier people throughout the life course

5. Technology and innovation for future health equity.

The three horizontal strands of action by WHO are:

1. Country offices equipped with skills for scaling up and innovation

2. Nimble support teams in the Regional Office

3. Effective communication for public health.

Action frameworks and panel discussions on priority issues

The Regional Committee will also consider new regional action frameworks on digital health and on health financing to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development. There will be panel discussions on climate resilient health-care facilities, transformative primary health care and oral health. In addition, there will be side events on topics including One Health, tobacco control and the Investment Round to resource WHO's work over the next four years.

Building climate-resilient health-care facilities

Countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region are at risk from climate change and climate-related disasters. The health impacts of these vary depending on the resilience of communities and the health facilities that serve them.

During a panel discussion at the Regional Committee today, delegates from Fiji, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Viet Nam emphasized the need to protect health by ensuring hospitals and clinics are climate resilient. The benefits of joining the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) were highlighted as it provides a platform for countries to accelerate transformative action in building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems by leveraging the collective expertise and resources of WHO Member States and other stakeholders.

WHO is working with countries and areas across the Western Pacific to track progress in protecting health from climate change, helping with vulnerability assessments, developing and updating adaptation plans, and implementing climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health facility initiatives.

Exhibitions to highlight health issues and WHO's work

Outside of the main agenda, a series of seven exhibitions was unveiled today on themes relevant to health and WHO's work in the Region.

An exhibit on health equity profiles allows delegates to view information on a particular country's health indicators and explore their intricate association with social and geospatial factors. This should give users a better understanding of how to prioritize and implement strategies to achieve health for all.

A special exhibit features collaborative art pieces made by staff at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office to mark World Sight Day 2024 and World Mental Health Day 2024. The paintings, representing an eye and a heart, symbolize what people most love to see in their lives and the importance of promoting mental health at work. WHO's ongoing efforts to improve both eye health and mental health for all rely on an integrated approach, a theme central to the draft regional vision.

The future of health museum exhibit showcases 15 "future artefacts" such as the "morning mat", where communities would be encouraged to gather each morning to talk about their health and well-being, and the climate-controlled tuk-tuk, a futuristic three-seater electric vehicle that emits clean air rather than toxic exhaust. These were co-created through foresight activities involving WHO staff and partners. There are also 15 historical artefacts that celebrate public health milestones from the past 75 years.

A series of models of climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health-care facilities will inform a panel discussion enabling delegates to explore innovative solutions to make health facilities more climate resilient and environmentally sustainable.

An exhibit about strengthening health emergency response capacities shows WHO's support for health emergency responses in the Region. It depicts operations support and logistics, emergency medical teams that can be deployed with field hospitals, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network of experts, and public health emergency operations centres.

The reaching the unreached map explorer in the Western Pacific Region features an interactive web-based map app that helps users find geographically underserved populations across the Region, shedding light on the health inequities they face. This exhibit emphasizes the critical role of data-driven health interventions to reach unreached populations.

Finally, an exhibit about the dangers of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products showcases examples of these products, describing the tactics used by the tobacco and related industries to entice children and young people to take up smoking and undermine tobacco control efforts. The exhibition also offers information on how countries and partners can prevent uptake of these products.

Note to editors:

The seventy-fifth session of the Western Pacific Regional Committee will run from Monday, 21 October, through Friday, 25 October, at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila, Philippines. The agenda and timetable are available online. A livestream of proceedings and all other official documents, as well as fact sheets and videos on the issues to be addressed, can be accessed here. For real-time updates, follow @WHOWPRO on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube and the hashtag #RCM75.

Working with 194 Member States across six regions, WHO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for public health. Each WHO region has a regional committee - a governing body composed of ministers of health and senior officials from Member States. Each regional committee meets annually to agree on health actions and to chart priorities for WHO's work.

The WHO Western Pacific Region is home to more than 1.9 billion people across 37 countries and areas: American Samoa (United States of America), Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (France), Guam (United States of America), Hong Kong SAR (China), Japan, Kiribati, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macao SAR (China), Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia (France), New Zealand, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States of America), Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn Island (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Viet Nam, Wallis and Futuna (France).